It is surprising how much money a school can save on its electric costs with just a few energy saving actions. Most administrators and faculty in schools think that the big items like the furnace and the air conditioner are the main culprits in eating vast amounts of energy. A quick, informal, energy audit may shock administrators.

Walk around your campus and see how many lights are left on that are unnecessary: lights in empty bathrooms, storage rooms, maintenance rooms, hallways, empty classrooms.

Not only are too many lights burning when they don't have to, there are a number of personal appliances that are left on, such as coffee pots in classrooms, small refrigerators, radios, space heaters, microwave ovens and even popcorn machines. Most of these items are duplicated in break rooms or lunch rooms. Convenience may be costing the school a lot of money.

One of the best ways to save energy in a school is by controlling the lighting. Educating teachers and students as to the savings the school will have if everyone turns off the lights that are not in use. Dramatic savings will be seen by turning off the hallway lights between classes. Some schools leave the hallway lights on for 12 to 18 hours a day and others leave the hallway lights on all the time. By turning them on only for the 2 or 3 hours a day they are needed, the school will see a remarkable reduction in their energy bills.

As students, there are things that can be done, too. Students and teachers working together can lower energy bills and that money can be better spent in some other area of educating our children.

Turn off the lights. When you leave the bathroom and no one else is in there, turn off the lights. Turn off the lights when the classroom is unoccupied.

Hot water heaters also consume a great deal of energy. If there is a faucet that is leaking it should be fixed as soon as possible. Even if the leak is cold water, it takes energy to deliver the cold water to the faucet.

To save on cooling and heating costs, close doors. Don't prop doors open or leave them open any longer than necessary.

Changing the thermostat settings will save a lot of energy. They should be set to 78 degrees when the weather is warm and 68 when the weather is cold.

Help your school set up a recycling effort if there is none in place, now.

Most importantly, students need to get involved in their school and to enforce the changes that will save energy. The energy saved will benefit everyone.

For more information about how PWA engineering can offer a customized solution to save your educational institution on energy bills, call us at 757-366-5325. PWA Engineering is the expert in power, water and air conservation.